NHL 2021-22 season Fantasy & Chat thread

[hotcross]

Phil Pritchard aka The Keeper of the Cup who coordinates the Cup tour has shipped the trophy to over 29 different player countries, but never south of the equator.

They probably are happy not to have it south of the equator. Australia, most of South America, and lower third of Africa are the main possibilities.

[mr. leisure]

McDonagh traded to Predators by Lightning

Tampa Bay receives defenseman Myers, forward Mismash for 33-year-old defenseman

Ryan McDonagh was traded to the Nashville Predators by the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday for defenseman Philippe Myers and forward Grant Mismash.

The 33-year-old defenseman waived his no-movement clause for the trade to Nashville (45-30-7), which qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the eighth straight season but was swept in the Western Conference First Round by the Colorado Avalanche.
"The first thing that stood out to me was I think where [Nashville] is competitively," McDonagh said. "Anybody that's played Nashville knows the group they have there and how they've made the playoffs and [how they're] trying to be a contender to win the Cup. As a player, you want to be a part of teams that have a chance to win the Cup.
"When Nashville showed interest, it was right away a big point for me to realize that this group is competitive and has all the pieces that I believe you need to win a Cup. You look through their lineup and they've got all the pieces and great character guys, guys that have been in the league that have a lot of experience, mixed in with some young guys, too, and a great coaching staff."
McDonagh, who has four seasons remaining on a seven-year, $47.25 million contract ($6.75 million average annual value) he signed with the Lightning on July 1, 2018, had 26 points (four goals, 22 assists) in 71 games this season while averaging 22:27 of ice time per game, including a team-high 3:15 while shorthanded. He also led the Lightning with 137 blocked shots and was fourth with 96 hits.
McDonagh had five points (one goal, four assists) in 23 playoff games for Tampa Bay, which advanced to the Stanley Cup Final before losing in six games to Colorado.
"Ryan McDonagh is one of the best defenders in the NHL, a selfless player and a great leader," Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois said. "I would like to thank him for everything he's done for us, including working with me to facilitate a trade this week.
"Considering each player's age, position and contract, I came to the conclusion that Ryan was the odd man out."

[Checkerboard]

Phil Pritchard aka The Keeper of the Cup who coordinates the Cup tour has shipped the trophy to over 29 different player countries, but never south of the equator.

[Checkerboard]

Defensemen are rockin' the pocketbook lately with these 7 year contracts.

[mr. leisure]

Fiala signs 7-year deal with Kings day after trade from Wild

Forward had NHL career-high 85 points this season, could have been restricted free agent July 13


Kevin Fiala signed a seven-year, $55.125 million contract with the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday, one day after he was acquired in a trade with the Minnesota Wild. It has an average annual value of $7.875 million.

Fiala was acquired for defenseman prospect Brock Faber and a first-round pick (No. 19) in the 2022 NHL Draft.
Fiala, who could have become a restricted free agent July 13, had NHL career highs in goals (33), assists (52) and points (85) in 82 games for the Wild this season. The 25-year-old forward also had three assists in six Stanley Cup Playoff games, when Minnesota was eliminated by the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference First Round.
Wild general manager Bill Guerin said he knew he was going to have to trade Fiala, who signed a one-year, $5.1 million contract Aug. 16, 2021 to avoid a salary arbitration hearing.
"Yeah I did," Guerin said Wednesday. "He had 85 points. The kid had a great year. We don't have (NHL salary) cap space. Honestly, to keep him we'd have to trade three guys or two guys and deplete our team more. Then the following year we're going to need even more. It just didn't fit.
"We've been down the road a couple times with Kevin already. Hey look, he had a great year and we knew we just were not going to be able to do it. We knew that, they knew that. There's no sense in just trying to [mess] around and try to fit this and fit that and give them a lowball deal. It's not going to work. We knew we were going to have to move him.
"We need younger guys. We need guys that don't make millions and millions of dollars. We just have to do it that way. And I think for long term success as well we have to keep adding to our prospect pool."
Selected by the Nashville Predators in the first round (No. 11) of the 2014 NHL Draft, Fiala has 283 points (124 goals, 159 assists) in 419 regular-season games, and 15 points (nine goals, six assists) in 35 playoff games.
Faber recently completed his sophomore season at the University of Minnesota, where he had 14 points (two goals, 12 assists) in 32 games and was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. The 19-year-old also played for the United States at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, getting one assist in four games.
"I just think that [Faber] was really, really high-end prospect, somebody that we think is not far away from playing at all," Guerin said. "I know he's just going back for his third year at [Minnesota], but in all actuality, Brock could probably play sooner than that. But it'll be a good year for him back there and we'll cross that bridge at the end of the season. … You can never have too many defensemen."

[mr. leisure]

Montgomery hired as Bruins coach, replaces Cassidy

Was Blues assistant past two seasons, coached Stars in 2017-18, first 32 games of 2018-19

Jim Montgomery was hired as coach of the Boston Bruins on Friday.

The 53-year-old replaces Bruce Cassidy, who was fired June 7 after six seasons. Boston (51-26-5) qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of Cassidy's six seasons but hasn't advanced past the second round since losing to the St. Louis Blues in the Cup Final in 2019.
"The Boston Bruins are pleased to introduce Jim Montgomery as the next head coach of the Boston Bruins and welcome Jim, his wife, Emily, and his children, JP, Colin, Ava and Olivia, to the city of Boston," Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said. "Jim has a winning history, and throughout the interview process he conveyed his ability to connect with all types of players while also demanding that his teams play with structure. We are excited for Jim to begin to make his imprint on our team."
Montgomery spent the past two seasons as an assistant for the Blues, including helping them advance to the Western Conference Second Round this season, when they lost in six games to the Colorado Avalanche.
"'Monty' was a great member of our staff and I appreciate his time and efforts with our players," St. Louis coach Craig Berube told the Blues website. "This is well deserved and I wish him well with the Bruins."
Prior to that, Montgomery coached the Dallas Stars for two seasons before being fired Dec. 10, 2019, because of unprofessional conduct. He later said he had been receiving counseling for alcohol abuse and had checked himself into an in-patient residential program.
Montgomery was 61-43-10 with Dallas.
"Sometimes it takes an unbearable consequence in your life to happen to have an unbelievable breakthrough," Montgomery said when he was hired by the Blues on Sept 16, 2020. "I didn't know I was headed down the wrong path, and once I found out and you realize you do have a problem, it's time to get to work and try and fix it. It's over nine months now, I'm sober and I'm just very thankful for what happened because now I'm a much better person every day and obviously a better husband, father and son to the people I care about the most."
Montgomery was hired by the Stars after spending five seasons as coach at the University of Denver, where he won the NCAA championship in 2016-17. He also was named the Spencer Penrose National Coach of the Year the same season. As a player, Montgomery won an NCAA championship with the University of Maine in 1993 and played 122 NHL games as a forward with the Blues, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks and Stars.
Montgomery is the eighth coach to be hired since the conclusion of the regular season. Lane Lambert was hired by the Islanders on May 16, Bruce Cassidy replaced Peter DeBoer as coach of the Golden Knights on June 17, John Tortorella was hired by the Flyers on June 17, DeBoer was hired by the Dallas Stars on June 21, Paul Maurice was hired by the Florida Panthers on June 22, Luke Richardson was hired by the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday, and Derek Lalonde was hired by the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday.
The Winnipeg Jets and Sharks are the NHL teams currently without a coach.

[Checkerboard]

Stanley Cup is 130 years old. Each winning team gets 100 days with it to celebrate.

Although the Cup usually travels to winning players' international off-season homes, Valeri Nichushkin will not be able to take Cup to Chelyabinsk as the league has barred the Cup from entering into Russia.

[mr. leisure]

It's already been repaired and has started its summer tour of a day with each player.

The Cup was delivered to the wrong address headed to its first stop with team captain.

The handlers were off by one digit on Landeskog's address, delivering it first to a neighbour, before the mistake was realized and corrected.

The Denver couple who lived at the mistaken address got some snaps with the Cup though, before the handlers had to leave.

Good stuff

[Checkerboard]

I wonder if there are replacement parts for the cup.

It's already been repaired and has started its summer tour of a day with each player.

The Cup was delivered to the wrong address headed to its first stop with team captain.

The handlers were off by one digit on Landeskog's address, delivering it first to a neighbour, before the mistake was realized and corrected.

The Denver couple who lived at the mistaken address got some snaps with the Cup though, before the handlers had to leave.

[mr. leisure]

Luongo, Sedin brothers lead Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2022

Roberto Luongo said he was certain Daniel and Henrik Sedin would get into the Hockey Hall of Fame this year. He wasn't nearly as sure if this would be his time too.

But Luongo's doubts were put to rest Monday, when Mike Gartner, the chair of the Hall of Fame's selection committee, revealed a Class of 2022 that has a significant Vancouver Canucks feel.
Luongo and the Sedin twins were elected for induction in their first year of eligibility and highlight a group that also includes Daniel Alfredsson, Riikka Sallinen and the late Herb Carnegie that will be celebrated at Hockey Hall of Fame Weekend from Nov. 11-13 and inducted at the ceremony in Toronto on Nov. 14

[Stallion]

I wonder if there are replacement parts for the cup.

[Checkerboard]

That's quite the dent Aube-Kubel put in the base of the Cup during the Avalanche post-game group photo.

[Checkerboard]

Avalanche win cup and can still get some June golf in.

[mr. leisure]

Richardson hired as Blackhawks coach to replace King

Was assistant with Canadiens past four seasons, played 1,417 NHL games

NHL.com @NHLdotcom

Luke Richardson was hired as coach of the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday.

Richardson replaces Derek King, who was 27-33-10 after replacing Jeremy Colliton on Nov. 7. The Blackhawks lost their first nine games (0-7-2), were 1-9-2 when Colliton was fired and finished 28-42-12, seventh in the Central Division.
"I am honored to be trusted with this opportunity to coach an Original Six franchise like the Chicago Blackhawks," Richardson said. "I look forward to working with (general manager) Kyle [Davidson], Jeff Greenberg, Norm Maciver and the rest of the hockey operations group in addition to having the guidance of (owners and executives) Rocky Wirtz, Danny Wirtz and Jamie Faulkner. Together, we will work to direct the team on a journey that we believe will achieve success. Clear communication, a plan, hard work and execution will lead us to that success."
Richardson worked the past four seasons as an assistant for the Montreal Canadiens and coached the final four games of the 2021 Stanley Cup Semifinal against the Vegas Golden Knights, going 3-1 after coach Dominique Ducharme tested positive for COVID-19. The Canadiens won the best-of-7 series in six games before losing the Stanley Cup Final in five games to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
"I want to wish Luke all the best in his next professional chapter in Chicago," Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes said. "Luke was wholeheartedly committed to helping our group achieve success, and he played a significant role in recent years. We thank him for his work and dedication."
The 53-year-old began his coaching career when he was named an Ottawa Senators assistant in 2009, a role he held for three seasons before coaching the Senators' American Hockey League affiliate in Binghamton for four seasons (2012-16). He was a New York Islanders assistant in 2017-18, prior to joining the Canadiens.
"We are excited having a seasoned coach like Luke join the organization as head coach," Davidson said. "Luke shares our vision and goals for the future, and he will have an opportunity to build an environment and culture of high-performance, hard work and high accountability. Throughout the interview process, it became evident that he not only had every quality we were looking for in a head coach, but also is a high-character individual that was perfect to lead this next era of the Chicago Blackhawks."
Richardson played 21 NHL seasons as a defenseman from 1987-2009 and had 201 points (35 goals, 166 assists) and 2,055 penalty minutes in 1,417 regular-season games for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Lightning and Senators. He had eight assists and 130 penalty minutes in 69 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
The Blackhawks have finished sixth or worse in their division in each of the past five seasons and qualified for the playoffs once in that span. They have one playoff series win since their last Stanley Cup championship in 2015, defeating the Oilers in four games in the best-of-5 Stanley Cup Qualifiers in 2020.
"I plan to create an environment of trust with our team," Richardson said. "With trust, relationships will form and grow, thus allowing everyone to blossom and execute their role. My philosophy is to be better today than we were yesterday and, to achieve that, we will need commitment and consistency."
Richardson is the sixth coach to be hired since the conclusion of the regular season. Lane Lambert was hired by the Islanders on May 16, Bruce Cassidy replaced Peter DeBoer as coach of the Golden Knights on June 17, John Tortorella was hired by the Flyers on June 17, DeBoer was hired by the Dallas Stars on June 21, and Paul Maurice was hired by the Florida Panthers on Thursday.
The Jets, Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings each are in the midst of a coaching search.

[Checkerboard]

Who's gonna stop an Avalanche dynasty now that it's been triggered?

[Otters27]

Can't believe the score held at 2-1 for so long

[Checkerboard]

Pretty efficient campaign, 2 sweeps and two 4-2's.

[jrgum3]

Well it was a great hockey season I'm happy for the Avs they deserved this championship as I thought they were the best team all year long and they proved it on the ice by beating the defending champs. Kudos to Tampa Bay for making to a third straight Stanley Cup Finals but Colorado would just not be denied this season.

[mr. leisure]

I like Colorado to bang em up tonight

Winner , congrats Avs fans .

[hotcross]

I studied and found a little something more to back my hunch of this series going to 7 games. Things I look at let's just say... don't always matter in the outcome... but it's there for Tampa.

I'm playing +170 Tampa in Regulation (3 way line) for game 6 tonight.

I'm more comfortable with this bet, compared to if we do go to game 7, trying to pick that winner.... my hunch is Colorado wins at home in game 7

[mr. leisure]

Go Bolts , tie it up .

[Otters27]

I like Colorado to bang em up tonight

[Checkerboard]

Just watching too. I may end up betting small live on whoever may be down early to comeback, don't care which side.

[hotcross]

It's hard to imagine Colorado getting this close and failing to win the series. At this point, thinking they get to game 7.... will look into this closer and see if something stands out to me.

Really, the games have been tight margin for error, coulda gone either way. Tampa is more banged up, so I'd say it would be a horrible look for Colorado to get up 3-1 games, and lose 3 straight.

[mr. leisure]

I've been getting burned betting this series so I think from here on out I'm just going to watch it as a fan and not get involved betting it. Just when I think Tampa Bay is dead of course they stave off elimination and force a game 6. I still think Colorado wins this series but I've been wrong just about every step of the way with my bets in this series.

Me too , just watching .

[Checkerboard]

Lot of 7 gamers this year, still possible for another.

[jrgum3]

I've been getting burned betting this series so I think from here on out I'm just going to watch it as a fan and not get involved betting it. Just when I think Tampa Bay is dead of course they stave off elimination and force a game 6. I still think Colorado wins this series but I've been wrong just about every step of the way with my bets in this series.

[hotcross]

I do think Tampa wins game 5

And that does not necessarily mean Tampa also wins game 6 at home

[mr. leisure]

I want at least one more game after tonight .

Go TB

[Checkerboard]

Since Tampa won the Cup and the Super Bowl in the same year, maybe an Avalanche Cup can spark the Broncos.

[jrgum3]

Futures odds all point to Colorado polishing off Tampa in 5.

I think this series is pretty much over. Colorado is the superior team and right now Tampa Bay is playing like a team that knows the writing is on the wall that their run is over. I'm kind of glad Colorado is on the verge of winning the cup because I've always liked watching their team play.

[hotcross]

Kadri with the OT winner for the AVS

Assist from Kuemper, and a missed Too Many Men penalty

[Checkerboard]

Futures odds all point to Colorado polishing off Tampa in 5.

[mr. leisure]

Kadri with the OT winner for the AVS

[Otters27]

Avs are vulnerable now. I have no idea though who wins tonight